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San Francisco Consumers Embracing Online Shopping More Rapidly Than Average Consumer
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 13, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --
Seventy-eight Percent of San Francisco Consumers Will Purchase Online, Making it the #2 Shopping Destination; More than Half Willing to Pay More for 'Green' Gifts, Says Deloitte Annual Holiday Survey
Online retailing will continue to grow this holiday season, with a record 78 percent of San Francisco consumers spending at least part of their holiday budgets on the Internet, according to Deloitte's 23rd Annual Holiday Survey of retail spending and trends. This figure is up three percentage points from 2007.
This popular medium for holiday gift shopping ranked #2 this year, behind department stores. More than one quarter of San Franciscans (27 percent) surveyed plan to shop primarily or entirely online this holiday season, an increase of two percentage points from last year. This is also six percentage points higher than the national average - just one fifth (21 percent) of national shoppers plan to shop primarily or entirely online. Almost one-third (30 percent) of total dollars are expected to be spent on the Internet, compared with 27 percent last year.
The survey shows that difficult economic conditions are a factor in the Internet's continued growth. More than one-third (38 percent) of San Francisco consumers say they will shop more online and in catalogs this year in order to save on gas. In addition, because of the economic environment, more than half (54 percent) will be on the lookout for free shipping offers from online retailers.
San Francisco consumers are also looking for retailers to provide them with flexibility this holiday season. More than three-quarters of San Francisco consumers (77 percent) surveyed will, for example, conduct online research in advance of a store visit. More than one in ten (14 percent) say they'll use their mobile phone to assist with online/in-store shopping, compared to just nine percent nationally. These expectations are an extension of existing shopper behaviors: nearly two-thirds of San Francisco consumers (64 percent) say they have used multiple shopping channels over the past year, most often purchasing a product in one channel (store, website, catalog) after viewing or researching it on another channel, compared to the national average of 56 percent.
"Consumers, particularly San Franciscans, want a seamless multichannel retail experience," said Steve Lemelin, Retail lead in Deloitte's Northern Pacific region. "They want the option of touching and feeling a product in the store and then being able to order it at their convenience, and they don't want to be told that a product purchased online can't be returned to a local store. Especially in this economic environment, a positive cross-channel experience can help retailers gain market share and differentiate their brands. Integrated channels also benefit retailers by allowing them to rationalize merchandise selection in their stores while fulfilling customer demand from an expanded online inventory."
Green Retailing Remains a Big -- and Growing -- Draw
The survey also found that the "green" movement continues to build momentum, and is stronger in San Francisco than in other areas of the country. Nearly six in ten (58 percent) are willing to pay extra for green gifts this holiday season, compared to 44 percent on average. Of those, 64 percent say they are willing to pay between 10 to 25 percent more, while the remaining are willing to pay 5 percent more.
Additionally, more than half (51 percent) of San Franciscans surveyed say they will use fewer plastic bags from supermarkets and other stores this year - a significant increase over the 40 percent who said the same last year. In addition, San Franciscans are tied w/ Seattleites as consumers most likely to consider not wrapping holiday gifts to conserve paper (25 percent).
"The big question around the green movement has always been how it translates into revenues for retailers," said Lemelin. "Our survey shows that a significant number of people will pay more for eco-friendly products, which tells us that this issue is becoming a key factor in consumers' purchasing decisions. Like multichannel retailing, environmentally friendly strategies can help retailers differentiate their brands, capture consumers' hearts and minds and increase share of wallet, particularly in this economic environment."
Nationally, Clothing Continues to Be a Popular Gift; Nintendo's Wii Takes Top Honors
For the fifth year, clothing continued to be the second-most-popular gift category in the survey (gift cards have been #1 for five years); however, the popularity of clothing has fallen over the past several years. CDs/DVDs for music and movies were again #3 and toys and games were #4. Money and books were tied at #5.
The top gifts that consumers said they intend to buy for friends and family include Nintendo's Wii gaming system, Apple's iPod (which has been in the top 3 since 2005), Sony's PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox. Other top gifts included two computer games - Wii Fit and Guitar Hero - Apple's iPhone, Barbie, American Girl and Hannah Montana merchandise. The top "generic" gifts mentioned were televisions (HD, plasma, flat screen etc.), computers/laptops, GPS systems and digital cameras. As previously announced, the survey found that gift cards/certificates continued to be the #1 gift that consumers plan to buy; the top venues for these gift cards were Wal-Mart, Amazon and Target.
About the Survey
The survey was commissioned by Deloitte and conducted online by an independent research company between September 26 and October 7, 2008. The survey polled a sample of 13,276 U.S. consumers, including 303 in San Francisco, and has a margin of error for the entire sample of plus or minus one percentage point.
For more information about Deloitte's Annual Holiday Survey, including interesting statistics, historical data and useful links, please visit www.deloitte.com/us/2008HolidaySurvey.
About Deloitte
As used in this document, "Deloitte" means Deloitte LLP and Deloitte Services LP, a subsidiary of Deloitte LLP. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries.
SOURCE Deloitte
http://www.deloitte.com/about
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